The present invention relates generally to toy projectile launchers and more particularly to a chuck for a ring airfoil launcher for the simultaneous launching of multiple ring airfoils and to a multiple barrel ring airfoil launcher.
Flying toys are and long have been favorites of children. The excitement of launching an object and watching it fly through the air continues to capture the imagination of youngsters. Being able to control and direct the flight of objects further adds to the amusement and attraction of these toys.
Ballistic type toy projectiles, such as darts, arrows, missiles and the like are common. A drawback of these toys is the inherent parabolic flight path, which limits both the distance of flight and accuracy. Toy projectiles that generate lift during flight overcome these limitations and have the ability to provide substantially level flight trajectory. Commonly assigned U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/092,564, filed Jun. 5, 1998 and entitled "Ring Airfoil Launcher," the disclosure of which is hereby expressly incorporated herein by reference, describes a lift generating ring airfoil toy and a variety of launchers. The advantage of the ring airfoil is its ability to generate lift during flight offering the potential for substantially level flight over increased distances. Furthermore, the launchers disclosed therein are arranged to impart spin on the ring airfoil as it is launched. The spinning action enhances lift generation and gyro-stabilizes the ring airfoil on its flight path. As is appreciated, the ring airfoils and launchers disclosed in application Ser. No. 09/092,564 yield both increased flight distance and accuracy to target.
To achieve the desired flight characteristics, a ring airfoil launcher is designed to impart both rotational and translational launching energy to the ring airfoil. This creates a complex launching action requiring a complex launching mechanism. The launching mechanisms described in the application Ser. No. 09/092,564 are very effective for providing the required launching action. However, these mechanisms are limited to launching single ring airfoils at a time before requiring reloading.